German steel plant Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann (HKM), owned by Salzgitter, said it is preparing to resume operations at blast furnace B after maintenance.
While the steelmaker did not specify the date of the BF B relaunch, it will perform equipment tests during the next two weeks before restarting. The furnace relining was announced in late May 2026 and started soon after the statement was made.
HKM is equipped with two BFs: furnace B has annual capacity of 2.7 mt of pig iron and BF A – 2.5 mt.
In July this year, Salzgitter acquired 100% of HKM’s shares, finalizing the transfer of ownership from Thyssenkrupp and Vallourec.
Following the share acquisition, Salzgitter initiated decarbonization plans for the HKM subsidiary, signing a contract with Tenova for the engineering, delivery, and installation of an electric arc furnace (EAF). The new furnace will be Germany’s largest and the second largest within the European Union with an annual capacity of 2.5 mt and a planned production target of 2 mt of green steel. The implementation phase will start in August this year and is scheduled for completion in 2029.
To learn more about Salzgitter’s decarbonization initiatives and those of other steelmakers globally, see McCloskey’s Global Green Steel Profile.
Author: Maria Tanatar
